Name John Quincy AdamsBirthdate July 11, 1767Famous Years 1825-PresentCurrently Known For Former President of the United StatesNetworth $23 millionFamous For 6th President of the United States

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"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." People always seem to remember who the first few presidents were, but then start to trail off a bit once they’ve gotten past Thomas Jefferson. Among those presidents that usually doesn’t come to mind first was John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the country that held the office from March 1825 to March 1829.

Adams had won the presidential election in 1824 after defeating Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford and Henry Clay. Even though he had lost the popular vote, Adams still became president as nobody won a majority of the electoral votes. This caused the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election in which Adams won.

Adams, of course, was the son of John Adams who served as the country’s second president. While growing up under the eye of his powerful father, Adams was tutored in his home and showed early signs of genius, especially in his reading and writing comprehension. He had to spend a lot of time on the road, and attended different schools that included Leiden University and learned several different languages.

To finish his schooling, Adams came back to the United States where he would attend the prestigious Harvard University. While in college, Adams was an honors student that was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and highest ranking honors society in the entire country. The society dates all the way back to December 1776, and currently has its headquarters located in Washington, D.C..

After graduating toward the top of his class at Harvard, Adams decided to stick around the school for a couple more years. He attended the university’s law school where he would graduate with his master’s in 1790, and went into practicing law and staying in Massachusetts. That’s no easy feat, as Harvard’s law school is seen as one of the best in the world where only top flight students can attend.

In 2006, there was an evaluation to determine the IQ levels of former United States presidents, and analysts have said that none other were smarter than John Quincy Adams himself. Adams received an estimated 165 IQ score, 12 IQ points above second place Jimmy Carter. That kind of IQ score would put him into the “high genius” category, above the likes of Albert Einstein.

History remembers Adams as being a man of superior intelligence, though none of us were around to hear him speak personally. The fact that he’s considered to be so highly ranked has a lot to do with his successful schooling career and his accomplishments as a politician. After all, the man didn’t even graduate from law school but became a highly successful lawyer.

When looking at the positive things that Adams did as president also help to paint him in a good light. Adams was a fine representative of the United States, which is why he was selected to be the ambassador for several different countries. Great Britain, Russia and France were among the countries that Adams was an ambassador to, helping to develop the United States into a world power.

When you needed someone to negotiate, Adams was the man that you sent to do the job. His high intelligence combined with his background in law made him the perfect person to represent your side in a negotiation, which included the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. Not only that, but Madison was the one that wrote the Monroe Doctrine.

The Monroe Doctrine stated that the United States would get involved if European countries tried to colonize countries in North and South America, while also agreeing that the United States wouldn’t get involved in conflicts between European countries. It was one of the biggest moments in the history of United States foreign policy, and a lot of politicians even today put the Monroe Doctrine into place.

If not for Adams, the United States might not even include Florida and other portions of the southeast. Adams signed the Adams-Onis Treaty that would give the country what is now the state of Florida, and also set the new border for the Louisiana Purchase. That didn’t even happen while he was president, either, as he was serving as Secretary of State at the time, which allowed him to gain enough popularity to become president.

Adams was supremely interested in developing the nation from within, and had many big plans to improve things in America. Adams was filled with bright ideas, but was often met with opposition which you might be able to attribute to others not having the same type of foresight or intelligence that Adams carried. He wanted to make a naval academy (which would eventually happen) and wanted to build a road that went all the way from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans.

Adams was ambitious, a masterful speaker and sharp as a tack. Sometimes he was a bit too smart for his own good, which caused him to be criticized both during and after his time as president. He wound up working in Congress later in his life and began to promote the fields of science and photography which allowed him to create the Smithsonian Institution. In 1846, Adams would pass away at the age of 78, though the years that have passed have painted him in a good light that includes making him the smartest president ever.